Metalepsis is an advanced figure of speech that alludes to other figures of speech, requiring recognition by the reader or listener. It can inject comedy and exaggeration, and in narratology, it refers to breaking narrative boundaries in literature or film. Characters may interact with the audience in live performances.
Metaleps, otherwise called transunposition, is an advanced form of a figure of speech. Rather than simply using a figure of speech, the user of a metaleps is alluding to one or more other figures of speech. The meaning of a metalpsis changes in narratology, where it refers to the breaking of narrative boundaries in a fictional book, play, or even film.
The listener or reader must recognize the allusions to other figures of speech in order to understand the meaning behind what is being communicated. Often the figure of speech conveys a metaphor using another word associated with the thing being referred to. The figure of speech might also rely on a reference to a famous phrase or literary character, or play on a popular saying in a society. For example, a person might say “I want to lick the brass ring” which is not a literal reference to a brass ring. Also, the figure of speech could be a reference to a literary work, for example if someone says “something definitely smells like Denmark”, which is a reference to Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.
Often a metalpsis is used in literary plays or more serious works of literature as a way to inject comedy. The use of some words in the allusion could cause comical exaggeration. If the figure of speech is taken literally by a reader or listener, what is communicated is ridiculous or perhaps impossible. Part of the joke for the audience is recognizing the double meanings of the phrase and laughing at the possible misinterpretations of the phrase by different characters in the literary work.
In narratology, metaleps might play with the structure of a game or a fictional book. The narrator, whom the reader or audience assumes is separate from the action, may suddenly begin interacting with the characters. This interaction between the narrator and the story could cause the narrator to be in the middle of the events of the book or game, possibly altering the direction of the plot.
In both live and recorded performances, characters could interact with the film. An actor in a play or film might address the audience, talk directly to them, and even invite the audience to join the performance. The action during a live performance might extend beyond the confines of the stage, with characters continuing their performances in the corridors of a theatre.
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